


Falling Back

by Previously8



Series: Falling in Love [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, honestly this is pure self indulgence, with some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-12 01:37:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5648965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Previously8/pseuds/Previously8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will loves love songs.</p><p>Sometimes the simplest of nights are the most important.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling Back

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion piece to Falling Forwards-- the whole scene, but from Will's POV. You can read it without having read Falling Forwards but I think that's the better of the two, anyways :)
> 
> Warning for mentions of past abuse (not a main character, just a side OC).

Okay, so Will likes love songs.  
  
Not like, a _ridiculous_ amount, but they put him in a good mood. Even if it's past midnight (and by all means he should be alseep) music is something that can keep his spirits up and banish the bad dreams he's become accustomed to. Sometimes, he wonders if music is so comforting because he's so untalented at making his own.  
  
Nico is in the kitchen too, pouring Lucky Charms into empty plastic bowls. He's been quiet since before Will knocked on his door to invite him for a midnight snack, which probably means that Will wasn't the only one unable to sleep tonight.  
  
On top of that, Nico's shoulders are hunched, and there's a soft frown on his face. He may as well be holding a glowing sign with "I'm not okay" written on it for how much his attempt to mask his unhappiness is working.  
  
Will flips on the radio.  
  
_"And now, for everyone's favourite classic..."_ The announcer says cheerily, as a song starts. Will's lips twitch. He knows this one.  
  
He puts the bowl of half-eaten cereal down on the countertop, and moves over to where Nico is adding milk to his own. Moving into his line of sight and gently taking his hand, Will pulls Nico to the centre of the kitchen. It's a small spin, nothing that a eighth grade dance didn't teach everyone, but Nico still looks impressed.  
  
Will has never really been graceful (his cabinmates can attest to that), but somehow, when Nico inevitably slips on the tiles in his socks, Will manages to catch him. He smiles tenderly and sways with Nico's shuffling as the song croons at them from the radio.  
  
It's hard to dance without resembling every high school couple ever, especially for two les-than-coordinated people. Will remembers his mother, a long time ago, trying to teach him to dance too.  
  
She'd been amazing at dancing. Twirling around the kitchen while making dinner was a daily occurence in Will's youth. Much to his own dismay, Will hadn't inherited that skill in the slightest. They still danced, of course, even after a number of mishaps involving glassware.  
  
It was after he'd shattered a vase on the floor, Will remembers with astonishing clarity, that his aunt had begun her first visit. He hadn't seen his mother's sister in years, but there she'd stood on the doorstep, shivering and asking if she could stay. Will's mother, ever the nurse, had said _yes, of course,_ and had immediately offered up the spare bedroom before asking where she'd gotten those bruises.  
  
Hushed conversations overheard as Will went to the bathroom that night hadn't meant anything at the time.  
  
_He scares me, sometimes,_ his aunt had said.  
  
_You should leave,_ Will's mother had cautioned.  
  
_I love him, though._ She told this to him mother as though it was the solution to everthing. A twelve year old didn't understand why his aunt wasn't stayng with her husband. If they were married, they loved each other. Will's uncle wouldn't scare his aunt _on purpose_. That was silly.  
  
It took years after, when he finally remembered all of the snippets, for him to reconcile the idea that his aunt had been in an abusive relationship. He had grown up in a happy, if not a bit unconventional, household. For a long time, he couldn't understand why his aunt had stayed with his uncle.  
  
Eventually, the conclusion was that love was a trap. His aunt had been stuck because of love.  
  
He likes to think he knows better now. He's not staying with Nico out of obligation, of course. He's staying because he wants to.  
  
Love songs don't talk about that part. Love songs gloss over the nitty gritty details and the twisted ways people and glued into corners they never wanted to be in, or the way people punish other people for being in love.  
  
Will still likes love songs. He likes that he isn't thinking about sad things when he's dancing in his pyjamas with Nico.  
  
Nico is staring up at him from only inches away. He feels cold, but his eyes are warm. He's wearing a small, unconcious smile and it takes a second for Will to remind himself that he has someone who's choosing to stare at him like that-- like he's worth the world. Will thinks he's probably giving Nico the same look.  
  
_(He's so, so important to Will and it's difficult for him to articulate sometimes just how much the scrawny teenager who he met all those years ago has grown to mean to him. Nico has brought so much into his life and to this day there's no way Will could imagine a life without him.)_  
  
They kiss. Nico's lips are soft on his and Will wishes he could stay like this forever, with Nico's arms around his waist and sharing body heat. For all that Nico's an ice cube, Will would gladly be his radiator if it meant they could stay so close.  
  
"You're so cold," he murmurs against Nico's lips before pulling away from the kiss.  They're still standing less than millimetres away from each other, arms locked around torsos in an intimate embrace. They sway slightly as the song dies away and another comes on, this one  more recent and more upbeat.  
  
"I really love you, you know," Nico murmurs into Will's collarbone.  
  
"I know," Will says. He grins down at the beautiful man in front of him.  
  
He's tempted to run a hand through Nico's dark hair to see if it can stick up any more erractically from his head, but he decides against it. Nico probably wouldn't much appreciate the gesture.  
  
Instead, he presses a gentle kiss to the top of his head, and holds him closer. He can feel Nico's heartbeat. "I love you too, you know."  
  
Nico kisses his jaw, feather light. "I know."  
  
They stand in the embrace, unwilling to move away.  
  
A few seconds later, the kettle whistles, demanding that Will unplug it immediately so hot chocolate can be served. Nico lets go slowly to grab mugs, and Will unplugs the kettle.  
  
Their movements are smooth. They glide arround each other with efficiency that comes from repetition-- they wake up often enough, whether from nightmares or memories, to have this routine. The methodic steps let them relax.  
  
It doesn't always help. There are times when Will can't stop shaking long enough to pour cereal accurately, or when Nico would rather not eat anything. This is the most fluid and easy time they've had of it in a while. Will knows that, like himself, Nico won't ever be really okay (demigod lives have assured that) but it feels close enough in that moment.  
  
After all, there are few things Will adores more than love songs, but Nico di Angelo is one. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you thought! A lot of this is pure headcanons on my part, seeing as we don't know much about what kind of person Will is or how he grew up. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
